As Seen in Charleston Magazine: How to Wear Bandana and Paisley Print This Fall

Every few seasons a print stops being a print and starts being a whole mood. Bandana print is having that moment right now. It started on the runways, moved to the street style photographers, and has landed squarely in the place that matters most: real closets, on real women, who want one piece that makes a plain outfit look like a decision.

So I was thrilled when Charleston Magazine picked our bandana print crossbody ($118) for the August issue Style File. It's a scouting report roundup of the pieces the editors think are worth your attention this fall — and ours landed in very good company.

Charleston Magazine feature including various bandana and paisley print products including a bag from JuJu Loves

As featured in Charleston Magazine- Bandana Print Convertible Crossbody Bag - $118

Here's what I want to give you beyond the shoutout: how to actually wear this print without it wearing you. Five ways to work it into what you already own, what to put on with a paisley dress, and the one styling move that keeps the whole thing from tipping into costume.

Why Bandana Print Is Everywhere Right Now

Bandana print and paisley print are essentially the same family — that swirling teardrop motif with the dense border detailing. Paisley is the older, more formal name for it. Bandana print is what we call it when the motif shows up in that graphic, high-contrast, kerchief-style layout.

The reason it's surging: the Western-leaning trend that's been building for a few seasons finally got a print to call its own. Fashion editors have been tracking bandana print across bags, shorts, swimwear, hats, and ready-to-wear, and four major luxury houses all worked bandanas or bandana motifs into a single season's collections. When that happens at the same time street style picks it up in three cities at once, it isn't a coincidence.

What makes it worth buying into rather than waiting out: paisley has never fully left. It cycles harder some years than others, but a paisley bag from five seasons ago still looks current. You're not buying a trend with an expiration date. You're buying into a motif that keeps coming back around.

The Bag That Made the Style File

The Bandana Print Convertible Crossbody Bag ($118) is the piece Charleston Magazine picked, and it's the one I'd start with if you're testing the print for the first time.

It comes with a removable red chain strap and a second gold chain, so you get two completely different bags out of one purchase. The red chain leans into the print and makes the whole thing read bold and deliberate. Swap in the gold chain and shorten it to shoulder length, and it reads dressier — the version you'd carry to dinner with a black dress and nothing else going on.

That's the real argument for a printed bag over a printed top. You control how much of it shows up. It sits at your hip, it's the only pattern in the outfit, and everything else you're wearing can stay quiet.

Red handbag with chain handle and bandana pattern on a white background

SHOP the Bandana Print Convertible Crossbody Bag — $118

Five Ways to Wear Bandana Print This Fall

1. As the only pattern in an all-neutral outfit. Cream sweater, straight-leg jeans, brown boots, bandana bag. The outfit is doing nothing and the bag is doing everything. This is the lowest-risk entry point and honestly the one I reach for most.

2. With denim on denim. Bandana print grew up next to denim, so it never fights it. A chambray shirt, darker jeans, and the bag at your hip reads Western-adjacent without a single fringe detail.

3. Head to toe in a paisley dress. The maximum-commitment version, and the one that gets the most compliments. More on this below.

4. Layered under a blazer. Print bag, plain blazer, and the structure of the jacket keeps the whole look from going boho. This works especially well when you're taking a printed piece somewhere semi-professional.

5. Mixed with leopard. The move that keeps paisley from reading dated. I broke this down in a recent Reel, and it's worth its own section.

Head to Toe: The Paisley Print Mini Dress

If the bag is the toe-dip, the Paisley Print Mini Dress ($218) is the full commitment — and it's the piece that makes people stop you.

The print is deep purple with teal and green running through it, which is a smarter color story than the red-and-navy most people picture when they hear bandana print. Purple paisley reads richer, more autumn, less rodeo. The blouson sleeves and the tie waist give it shape, so it doesn't wear like a sack, and the tiered hem moves when you do.

It works with tall boots and tights the second it gets cold, with bare legs and heeled mules while it's still warm, and under a denim jacket for anything casual. One dress, three seasons of wear.

Woman wearing a purple paisley dress on a beige background

SHOP the Paisley Print Mini Dress — $218

What to Wear With a Paisley Dress

Here's the rule that saves you every time: when the dress is loud, the jewelry gets simple, or it picks up one color from the print. Never both loud and competing.

Since this print carries teal and green, those are your two easiest pulls. The Emerald Green Pendant Necklace with Gold Chain ($118) picks up the green in the print and gives your eye somewhere to land. It's one clean stone on a gold chain, so it reads finished without adding a second pattern to the mix.

close up of emerald colored stone set in gold against a white background

SHOP the Emerald Green Pendant Necklace with Gold Chain — $118

On your hand, the Gold Flower Cocktail Ring with African Turquoise ($78) does the teal pull. African turquoise runs deeper and more mottled than standard turquoise, which is exactly why it works against a busy print — it has enough going on to hold its own, but the color is muted enough that it doesn't shout over the dress.

Gold flower-shaped ring with a green african turquoise on a hand against a leopard print background

SHOP the Gold Flower Cocktail Ring with African Turquoise — $78

For earrings, go quiet. The Mixed Metal Chain Huggie Hoop Earrings ($68) sit close to the ear and add shine without adding noise — the right call when the dress is already the conversation. If you'd rather have some length near your face, the Gold Hammered Leaf Dangle Earrings ($78) give you movement in plain hammered gold, which reads as texture rather than as a competing pattern.

Gold and silver chain hoop earrings on a stand with a neutral background

SHOP the Mixed Metal Chain Huggie Hoop Earrings — $68

Hand holding gold hammered leaf dangle earrings against an ivory fabric background

SHOP the Gold Hammered Leaf Dangle Earrings — $78

And if you want one piece doing the heavy lifting on your wrist, the Gold Crystal Cuff Bracelet — Green ($124) matches the green in the print and takes the place of a stack. With a printed dress, one wide cuff beats five thin bracelets every time — less visual clutter, more impact.

Gold crystal cuff bracelet with row of peridot green crystals in antique gold brass setting against a white background

SHOP the Gold Crystal Cuff Bracelet — Green — $124

The Leopard Mix: How to Keep Paisley From Reading Dated

This is the styling move I get asked about most, and it's the one I demonstrated in the Reel. Paisley on its own can drift vintage. Paisley next to leopard snaps straight back to current.

The reason it works is scale and temperature. Paisley is a swirling, detailed, cool-toned print. Leopard is a scattered, irregular, warm-toned one. They're different enough in rhythm that your eye reads them as two separate ideas instead of a clash. Two prints that are too similar fight. Two prints that are clearly different from each other end up looking deliberate.

The easiest way in is a leopard bag against a paisley dress. The Quilted Leopard Print Clutch Bag ($118) is a small, contained hit of the second print — small enough that you're mixing, not competing.

Woman holding quilted leopard print clutch showing size and black wood frame detail — lifestyle view

SHOP the Quilted Leopard Print Clutch Bag — $118

If you want the option to wear it hands-free, the Leopard Print Convertible Clutch ($138) works as a clutch for dinner and converts to a crossbody for everything before dinner. Same print logic, more ways to wear it.

leopard print clutch bag with black resin closure and gold shoulder strap against a white background

SHOP the Leopard Print Convertible Clutch — $138

For the lowest-commitment version of the mix, the Green Leopard Print Scarf with Fringe ($58) ties around your neck, knots onto a bag handle, or drapes over a coat. The green in it also happens to pull the same thread as the green running through the paisley dress, which is why this particular pairing lands so well. If you want the full breakdown on wearing leopard on its own, I covered it in Leopard Print Accessories.

green leopard print scarf on a white background

SHOP the Green Leopard Print Scarf with Fringe — $58

Two Pieces That Lean Into the Western Undertone

Bandana print carries a Western thread whether you play it up or not. If you want to lean in — without going full costume — these are the two pieces I'd use.

The Turquoise Serpent Brooch & Pendant ($118) works two ways: pinned to a denim jacket lapel over the paisley dress, or strung on a chain as a pendant. Turquoise and paisley have a long history together, and the serpent shape gives it enough edge that it doesn't read sweet. If pins are new territory for you, start with How to Wear a Brooch.

Decorative blue snake-shaped brooch with star design on a light gray background

SHOP the Turquoise Serpent Brooch & Pendant — $118

The Gold Snake Embossed Wrap Cuff Bracelet ($148) brings in texture rather than another print. Snake-embossed leather next to paisley gives you that layered, collected-over-years look without a second pattern competing for attention. It also plays beautifully with the tie sleeves on the dress — the wrap sits right where the sleeve ends.

Person holding a gold butterfly clutch with leopard print pattern, wearing black shoes with diamond buckles.

SHOP the Gold Snake Embossed Wrap Cuff Bracelet — $148

If You're Buying It as a Gift

A printed bag is a great gift for the woman who already owns every neutral handbag she needs. It's the piece she wouldn't buy for herself and will be glad someone else did.

If you'd rather not guess on print, the Surprise Me JuJu Gift Box (from $115) lets me pull the pieces based on what she'd actually reach for. I've written more about why that beats a gift card in The Surprise Gift Box Trend.

SHOP the Surprise Me JuJu Gift Box — from $115

Quick Picks

If you're deciding between pieces, here's where I'd point you based on what you're actually trying to do.

Best for testing the trend — Bandana Print Convertible Crossbody Bag — $118

Best for going all in — Paisley Print Mini Dress — $218

Best for mixing prints — Quilted Leopard Print Clutch Bag — $118

Best for wearing with a busy print — Mixed Metal Chain Huggie Hoop Earrings — $68

Best for gifting — Surprise Me JuJu Gift Box — from $115

Frequently Asked Questions

Is bandana print still in style?
Yes, and it's growing rather than fading. It started as a spring and summer story, but the deeper colorways — like the purple and teal in our Paisley Print Mini Dress ($218) — carry it straight into autumn. Charleston Magazine featured it in their August Style File for exactly that reason.

What's the difference between bandana print and paisley print?
They're the same teardrop motif. Paisley is the traditional name and usually describes a denser, more all-over pattern. Bandana print describes the graphic, high-contrast, kerchief-style version with a defined border. Our Bandana Print Convertible Crossbody Bag ($118) is the bandana-style layout; the dress is the paisley-style one.

Can you mix paisley and leopard print?
Yes, and it's the move that keeps paisley from reading vintage. The two prints have different scales and different color temperatures, so they read as two deliberate choices rather than a clash. Start with a small leopard piece against a larger paisley one — the Quilted Leopard Print Clutch Bag ($118) is the easiest way in.

What colors go with bandana print?
Pull one color directly out of the print and repeat it, then keep everything else neutral. For a purple-and-teal paisley, that means green or turquoise — the Emerald Green Pendant Necklace ($118) or the Gold Flower Cocktail Ring with African Turquoise ($78). Plain gold also works with any paisley colorway.

What jewelry should I wear with a printed dress?
Keep it simple or keep it color-matched, never both busy and mismatched. One wide cuff like the Gold Crystal Cuff Bracelet — Green ($124) beats a stack of thin bracelets, and close-to-the-ear styles read cleaner than long statement earrings. I go deeper on the balance question in Statement Necklaces: How to Wear Them Without Going Overboard.

How do I wear bandana print without looking too Western?
Add structure. A blazer, a leather bag, or heeled boots pull it back toward city and away from ranch. Skip the fringe, the cowboy hat, and the concho belt all at once — pick one Western signal maximum. A textured piece like the Gold Snake Embossed Wrap Cuff Bracelet ($148) gives you the nod without the costume.

Does the bandana print crossbody convert to a shoulder bag?
Yes. The red chain strap is removable, and the bag comes with a second gold chain so you can wear it crossbody or shorten it to sit on the shoulder. That's two distinct looks from one bag ($118). You can see more convertible styles in our bags and clutches collection.

What shoes work with a paisley mini dress?
Tall boots once it's cold, heeled mules while it's warm, and white sneakers if you're running errands and want the dress to do the work. Keep them solid — a printed shoe under a printed dress is one pattern too many. For more cool-weather outfit formulas, see What Jewelry to Wear With Sweaters.

Is shipping free?
Yes — shipping is free on every order, no minimum. That applies to everything in this post, including the Bandana Print Convertible Crossbody Bag ($118).